Karmapa Rangjung Rigpé Dorje

Karmapa Rangjung Rigpé Dorje (Wyl.rang byung rig pa'i rdo rje) (1924-1981) — the Sixteenth Karmapa. He left Tibet in 1959 and rebuilt the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim in 1962, making it the seat of the Karma Kagyü in exile. Through his vision and action, the future of the Kagyü tradition was ensured, despite the tragic events of the time in Tibet, and he played a major role in establishing the Kagyü School in both the East and West. He passed away in Chicago in 1981.

There are are currently two incarnations who hold the title of Seventeenth Karmapa: